ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Defence
FUNDING PATTERN FOR SAINIK SCHOOLS
A uniform pattern is followed by Sainik Schools Society for allocation of following grants-in-aid to Sainik Schools based on their requirement/demand, budgetary availability and ceiling wherever applicable:
- Infrastructure Grant
- Training Grant
- NDA Incentive & Sharing of Burden
- Defence Scholarship
- Central Assistance
- 100% Additionality of pay and allowances, pension and family pension
These grants are allocated as per demands raised by the Sainik Schools subject to fulfilment of the criteria & guidelines framed for the said grants. The concerned State Governments where Sainik Schools are located provide Dietary Allowance, State Scholarship & Grant-in-aid for maintenance of infrastructure, training etc. to the concerned Sainik Schools. As per the scheme of existing Sainik Schools, these Schools are run jointly under the aegis of Sainik Schools Society, Ministry of Defence & concerned State Government where Sainik School is located.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Shri S Muniswamy in Lok Sabha today.
President's Secretariat
President of India opens Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Annual “Udyanotsav”
Mughal Gardens to open for the public from tomorrow
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, opened the annual “Udyanotsav” of Rashtrapati Bhavan today .
The Mughal Gardens will remain open for the general public from February 5, 2020 to March 08, 2020  between 1000 hrs to 1600 hrs. The Gardens will remain closed on February 8, 2020  on account of General Election to the Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi.
In addition to the direct walk-in entry like previous years, visitors can plan their visit to the Gardens well in advance through online booking facility. Online Booking can be done by visiting https://rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in and following ‘Explore and Tour’ link. Online Booking link is also available at https://rb.nic.in/rbvisit/visit_plan.aspx. Both direct walk-in entry and online booking are free of cost.
The online booking facility - available seven days in advance - has been divided into seven hourly slots starting from 10 am to 4 pm in weekdays  and three hourly slots - 10 am, 11 am and 12 noon on weekends  and on holidays. Each hourly slot on weekdays and weekends/holidays has slot for 1000 and 2500 visitors respectively. A maximum of 10 visitors can be booked in a single booking for weekday’s visit while maximum 5 visitors can be booked in a single booking for visit during weekend and holidays. Mobile number is mandatory for online booking and only one booking is permitted from one mobile number. Visitors who have booked online need to carry visitor entry pass  along with identity card.
Entry and exit for all online/walk-in visitors will be from Gate No. 35 of the President’s Estate, close to where North Avenue meets Rashtrapati Bhavan. However, there will be separate entry/queue for online visitors. It will be mandatory for them to adhere with their allotted time slots. In case a visitor arrives out of booked time slot, he/she would be requested to join the queue of “direct walk-in ” visitors.
Visitors are requested not to bring any water bottles, briefcases, handbags/ladies purses, cameras, radios/transistors, boxes, umbrellas, eatables etc. Such articles, if any, will have to be deposited at the entry point. Arrangements of drinking water, toilets, first aid / medical facility, rest rooms for senior citizens, women and children are provided at various places along the public route.
VRRK/BM
(Visitor Counter : 1024
Ministry of Defence
Indian Air force contingent leaves for Israel to Participate in ‘Ex Blue Flag-17’
A 45 member contingent of the Indian Air Force left for Israel today to participate in exercise ‘Blue Flag-17’. Blue Flag is a bi-annual multilateral exercise which aims to strengthen military cooperation amongst participating nations. Indian Air Force is participating with the C-130J special operations aircraft along with Garud commandos. The exercise would provide a platform for sharing of knowledge, combat experience and in improving operational capability of the participating nations. The exercise is being conducted at Uvda Air Force Base in Israel from 02-16 Nov 17. The team consists of personnel from various combat elements of the IAF and is led by Gp Capt Maluk Singh VSM.
This is the first time the Indian Air Force is operating with Israeli AF in a multilateral exercise setting. Exercise Blue Flag gives opportunity to the IAF to share and learn best practices with some of the best professionals from other Air Forces.
Prime Minister's Office
PM salutes workers on Labour Day
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in his Labour Day message, has saluted the determination and hard work of countless workers who play a big role in India's progress.
“Today, on Labour Day we salute the determination and hard work of countless workers who play a big role in India's progress. Shrameva Jayate!”, the Prime Minister said.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
First Edition of Women Icons Leading Swacchata  Awards 2023 Launched By MoHUA
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- Applications for the awards are open from March 8th to April 5th 2023
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- States & Cities to publicize details of WINS Awards 2023 via their website, portals, and social media
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- India is now poised to make a transformational shift from ‘Women in Swachhata’ to ‘Women led Swachhata’
To highlight the impact of women in sanitation and waste management, the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri announced the ‘Women Icons Leading Swachhata’  Awards 2023 on 7th March 2023, on the eve of International Women’s Day. The WINS Awards 2023 aim to recognize celebrate and disseminate inspiring and exemplary initiatives in urban sanitation and waste management by women led organizations and individual women.
The applications are open from 8th March to 5th April 2023. Applications for the Awards are open to  Self-Help Groups   Micro-enterprises,  Non-Government Organisations ,  Startups and  Individual Women Leaders/Swachhata champions.
Applications will be considered under the thematic areas of  Management of Community/Public Toilets  Septic Tanks Cleaning Services  Treatment Facilities   Municipal Water collection and /or Transportation  Operation of Material Recovery Facilities  Waste to Wealth products  Treatment Facilities   IEC, Training, Capacity Building  Technology and Intervention and  Others.
The Application Form will be made available to all States.
The process to be followed will be:
States & Cities will publicize details of WINS Awards 2023 via their website, portals, and social media. Citizens are invited to apply. A suggested application format has been provided by MoHUA.
Urban Local Bodies  will evaluate entries & nominate up to 5 applicants to the State via the Swachhatam portal. ULBs can organize public felicitation of their nominees as city winners. ULB wise nominations will be evaluated at the State level. Up to 3 entries in each category will be nominated by the State to Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs . State can organize public felicitation of nominees as State winners. State nominations will be evaluated at the national level on their innovativeness, impact, uniqueness, sustainability & replicability.
At the national level, the MoHUA team will set up a Jury to evaluate the applications and select winners in each category. The Jury shall comprise of stakeholders from cities and States, independent experts, brand ambassadors, influencers and industry representatives. Winning entries will be featured in a compendium.
Background
It is now eight years since the flagship Mission of the Government of India-the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban was launched by the Prime Minister in October 2014. The Mission has enabled access to safe sanitation and dignity of women while also opening up livelihood and skilling opportunities to women in the area of sanitation and waste management. The country is now poised to make a transformational shift from ‘Women in Swachhata’ to ‘Women led Swachhata’.
Ministry of Home Affairs
National Flag will fly half-mast today
The Government of India, announced with profound sorrow the death of Shri Ananth Kumar, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, today in Bengaluru.
As a mark of respect to the departed dignitary, the Centre has decided that the National Flag will be flown at half mast in Delhi and Capitals of all States and UTs where it is regularly flown, today and on the day of funeral at the place where funeral takes place. It has also been decided that the State funeral will be accorded to the departed dignitary.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India’s Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage crosses the landmark of 53 Cr
More than 63 Lakh vaccine doses administered in last 24 hours
Recovery Rate currently at 97.45%
38,667 Daily New Cases reported in last 24 hours
India's Active Caseload presently constitute 1.21% of total cases
Daily Positivity Rate  less than 3% for last 19 days
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed the landmark of 53 Cr. Cumulatively, 53,61,89,903vaccine doses have been administered through 60,88,437sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today. 63,80,937vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours.
These include:
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HCWs
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1st Dose
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1,03,46,330
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2nd Dose
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80,69,421
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FLWs
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1st Dose
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1,82,67,067
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2nd Dose
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1,20,58,038
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Age Group 18-44 years
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1st Dose
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19,16,49,945
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2nd Dose
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1,44,94,525
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Age Group 45-59 years
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1st Dose
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11,59,91,624
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2nd Dose
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4,49,05,898
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Over 60 years
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1st Dose
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8,05,91,149
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2nd Dose
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3,98,15,906
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Total
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53,61,89,903
The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination has commenced from 21st June, 2021. The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country.
India’s recovery rate stands at 97.45%.
Out of the people infected since the beginning of the pandemic, 3,13,38,088 people have already recovered from COVID-19 and 35,743 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours.
India has reported 38,667daily new cases in the last 24 hours.
Less than 50,000 Daily New Cases have been reported since forty-eight consecutive days. This is a result of sustained and collaborative efforts by the Centre and the States/UTs.
India’s Active Caseload today stands at 3,87,673. Active cases now constitute only1.21% of the country's total Positive Cases.
With substantially ramped up testing capacity across the country, a total of 22,29,798tests were conducted in the last 24 hours in the country. Cumulatively, India has conducted over 49.17 crore  tests so far.
While on one side testing capacity has been enhanced across the country, Weekly Positivity Rate currently stands at 2.05% and the Daily Positivity rate stands at 1.73% today. Daily Positivity rate has remained below 3% forlast 19 days and below 5% for 68 consecutive days now.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Policy on Promotion of Bureaucrats
Review of performance of Government employees is a continuous process and the Central Government has since long been reviewing officials on grounds of performance and integrity.
As per the information/data uploaded by the different Ministries/Departments/Cadre Controlling Authorities  on Probity Portal, followed by the rectification requests made by some of them, a total of 32,305 Group ‘A’ and 83,205 Group ‘B’ Officers have been reviewed during the period July 2014 to October 2019. Of these, the provisions of rule 56 of the Fundamental Rules and similar rules have been invoked against 117 Group ‘A’ officers, as also against 126 Group ‘B’ Officers.
This information was provided by the Union Minister of State  Development of North-Eastern Region , MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, DrJitendra Singh in written reply to a question in RajyaSabha today.
Ministry of Defence
RECIPROCAL AGREEMENT
There is no reciprocal agreement in existence or in negotiation to allow the repairs of Indian Ships in American Shipyards. However, a Master Shipyard Repair Agreement  has been signed on April 04, 2023 between Larsen & Toubro  Shipyard Kattupalli and the US for voyage repairs of US Navy vessels. MSRA with M/s Mazagon Docks Limited and M/s Goa Shipyard Limited is at an advanced stage. MSRA qualifies a shipyard to compete for carrying out ship repair projects for US Navy. The MSRA includes clauses on security, payments, liabilities etc. The agreement is reviewed every five years, or as required.
Undertaking repairs of these ships serves the commercial interest of Indian shipbuilders and will potentially lead to more such opportunities. An American Navy ship shall be berthed in an Indian shipyard for the duration of its repair.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Shri Cosme Francisco Caitano Sardinha in Lok Sabha today.
PIB Headquarters
PERFORMING YOGA REGULARLY WILL STRENGTHEN OUR IMMUNITY
Prime minister urges to practise yoga by sharing various asanas in Social Media
The best way to fight covid 19 pandemic is to increase self immunity as per proven norms. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in his recent Mann Ki Baat address said that Yoga is getting integrated with people’s lives and health awareness is also rising. The Prime Minister pointed out that during lockdown people are practising yoga through online classes or by watching online videos. Earlier Prime Minister had tweeted about importance of Yoga nidra once or twice a week to improve overall well being. Further it relaxes mind, reduces stress and anxiety. He shared video on yoga nidra as well as animated video of various yogasanas including Suryanamaskar. Vrikshasana- similar to tree posture will give neuro muscular coordination and is good for strengthening leg muscles.
Dr Santhanakrishnan, Yoga Master of Trichy Srirangam Vivekananda Yoga centre said that Basthrika pranayama is very important to improve immunity. The deep breathe helps to remove any toxins and impurities from lungs. Bhastrika pranayama can be done in vajrasana or sukhasana. Inhaling deeply and exhaling forcefully flush out all impurities from lungs. He said that our Prime Minister has stressed the importance of yoga in improving immunity. The Yoga master said that Basthrika pranayama can be done twenty times daily to improve functioning of lungs. Dr Sridhar, another Yoga master urged students to perform hangini yoga mudra. He said that this yoga mudra will help increase memory power of students. Children can perform this mudra for five minutes before indulging in studying . He said that Utkatasana is perhaps the best way to keep yourself fit during lockdown without going for morning walk.
Smt Pramila, a housewife in Trichy says Yoga is very useful in keeping mind relaxed during lockdown. She pointed out how Prime Minister had mentioned about the importance of pranayamas which is good for our respiratory system. Since Covid 19 is supposed to affect our respiratory system, yoga is crucial in the fight against the pandemic. Kapalbhati, Anulom vilom pranayama, Bhastrika, Sheetali, Bhramari yogasanas are some useful asanas for our overall well being.
Shishuasana can decongest chest and relax mind, Setu bandhasana opens blood circulation, bhujangasana matsyasana, dhanurasana are all good to strengthen the body but should be done only through proper guidance of a Yoga master.
June 21 is celebrated as International day of Yoga all over the world under the auspices of United Nations. The day was declared on the request of our Prime Minister Shri Modi, as it is the longest day of the year marking summer solstice. United Nations accepting India’s request had decided to celebrate June 21 as international day of Yoga from 2015 onwards. Yoga is indeed a blessing from our tradition that has swept the world and is serving as a pranic healer and an immunity booster at a time when the world is fighting a deadly pandemic.
Dr Santhanakrishnan Dr Sridhar utkatasana at Srirangam yoga centre
Animation pictures of yoga by Prime Minister
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Ministry of Finance
Nationwide GST Stakeholder Feedback Diwasfor New GST Returns to be observed tomorrow
The Central GST and State GST authorities have organized a nationwide GST Stakeholder Feedback Diwas on New GST Returns on 7th December 2019 for getting an on-the-spot response to the new GST Returns to be introduced from 1st April 2020. The focus would be on assessing the ease of compliance and uploading of these new returns so that the trade does not face any difficulty when the returns are made legally mandatory. These feedback sessions would be attended by all prominent chambers of commerce and industry and other organisations representing taxpayers and tax practitioners & compliance managers. The tax officers shall be available to hand hold the taxpayers and assist them in trying out the new returns. This is the first time after introduction of GST that taxpayer consultation is being done on such a large scale.
On 16th November 2019 Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman had invited some GST taxpayers, Chartered Accountants and Tax practitioners to assess first-hand the response to the various GST returns especially the new Returns to be introduced w.e.f. 1st April 2020. Several useful suggestions were also received. This initiative by the Finance Minister was widely welcomed by the entire tax fraternity and hailed as a step in the right direction for greater transparency in tax administration. Accordingly, Finance Minister decided that such interaction with stakeholders should be replicated nationwide on 7th December 2019 to get a much larger feedback on the new return system .
All GST stakeholders are requested to actively participated in these feedback sessions in their nearest CGST or SGST Office cross the country.
Ministry of Finance
Government decides to allow one more opportunity to employees of Public Sector Insurance Companies who joined on or before 28th June, 1995
The Government of India has decided to allow one more opportunity to employees of Public Sector Insurance Companies  who joined on or before 28th June 1995, to opt for Pension, as a retirement benefit.
Pension was introduced as a retirement benefit in PSICs with effect from 28th June 1995. In April 1997, employees of LIC and Public Sector General Insurance Companies namely, GIC, NICL, OICL, UIICL and NIACL, who joined service on or before 28th June 1995 were given another opportunity to opt for Pension, as a retirement benefit.
However, many eligible employees could not exercise the option and there has been a long standing demand from them to be given another option.
In order to mitigate the hardship of such employees of whom many have retired, Government has decided as a welfare measure, to allow one more opportunity to employees of PSICs who joined service on or before 28th June 1995, to opt for the Pension scheme of their respective organizations, in lieu of Contributory Provident Fund.
This decision is expected to benefit 42,720 employees  of which 24,595 are of LIC and 18,125 of PSGICs.
Ministry of Railways
Union Minister for Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Undertakes ‘Shramdaan for Swachhata’ at Gurgaon Railway Station
Union Railways Minister Launches ‘14 Minute Miracle Cleaning’ for Vande Bharat Express
Indian Railways Cleans 12,700 Kms of Rail Tracks and Devotes Nearly 7 Lakh Man-Hours for ‘Swachhata’
The Union Minister for Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw gave “Shramdaan for Swachhata” at Gurgaon Railway Station in Haryana today morning, taking inspiration from Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s clarion call for ‘Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath’ under the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign. Shri Vaishnaw participated in the cleaning of railway tracks and the station premises. Senior officers of Railway Board and Northern Railway also participated in the cleanliness drive ahead of Gandhi Jayanti.
The Union Minister for Railways then boarded the 20977 Ajmer – Delhi Cantt. Vande Bharat Express from Gurgaon Railway station to Delhi Cantt. He inspected the level of cleanliness in the train and interacted with the passengers. At the Delhi Cantt. Station, the Union Minister was shown a demonstration of “14 Minute Miracle Cleaning” of Vande Bharat Express by the ‘Swachh Vande Veers’. With this he launched the cleaning process for all Vande Bharat Express services across the country.
The “14 Minute Miracle Cleaning” involves cleaning of the coaches with discipline and precision. The fast-cleaning drill will cut down the turn-around time of the Vande Bharat trains. The process involves Deployment of staff in coaches for Dry and Wet mopping of the interiors and exteriors of the coaches and collection of garbage bags and suitable disposable of the waste to ensure Swachhata.
Addressing the media after the launch of ‘14 Minute Miracle Cleaning’, the Union Minister for Railways said Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi always inspires us to find new methods and ways to improve delivery of services to the masses. Shri Vaishnaw said “we have started a new protocol with this ‘Swachhata ka Naya Samkalp’ which will ensure reduction in turnaround time for the Vande Bharat express”. He further added that this process has been started with Vande Bharat Express and it will be gradually taken forward, so as to ensure that cleanliness can be spread across India Railways.
Like every year, this year also Ministry of Railways is observing ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Pakhwada’  from 15.09.23 to 02.10.23 with every effort to ensure the successful implementation of this campaign, aimed at fostering a much greener and more eco-friendly railway system and ensuring a ‘Swachh Bharat’. This year, during the first 15 days of SHS campaign, more than 2.19 lakh people have participated in around 2050 activities, devoting 685,883 man- hours for ‘Swachhata’.
Some of the key highlights of the initiatives include removal of around 105 tons of plastic from the Railway premises and collection of around 1085 tons of scrap collected from various Railway Establishments. A special drive was launched to clear the area around railway tracks. Under this initiative 12,700 Track Kms was cleaned by the Indian Railways.